My Apartment on the Escarpment Quiz

Answer: True

The National Geographic Society says that the word "scarp" refers to a cliff, and an "escarpment" refers to the bottom of the cliff. Escarpments separate different types of land surfaces. For example, if an escarpment is found at the edge of a sea, the escarpment might be a sandy beach, while the top of the scarp might be rocky ground. An escarpment might also be formed where two different types of rock from two different geological eras come together.

Answer: 4

The Niagara Escarpment is a ridge of land in the northern part of the US/southern part of Canada. The ridge is fairly prominent in many places that it runs, but is less noticeable in others. It runs mostly east-west through from New York and continues through Ontario in Canada, then back into the US in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Illinois. It is over 1600 km (994 miles) in length.

Answer: Erosion and faulting

When escarpments are formed by erosion, softer rocks are worn away by wind or water, and cliffs remain behind. One example of an escarpment caused by erosion is the Niagara Escarpment. It has a top layer of very hard rock with softer rock below. As wind and water eroded the softer rock over the millions of years that it took to form, cliffs were created along the length of the Niagara Escarpment.

The creation of escarpments by faulting occurs when the layers of the Earth's crust come together at a fault line.

When one layer passes beneath the other, this creates cliffs that result in escarpments. One example of an escarpment that was created as a result of faulting is the Elgeyo Escarpment in Kenya's Great Rift Valley.

Answer: The length of the Niagara Escarpment in Ontario

The Bruce Trail is a clearly marked nature trail that runs from the Niagara River to Tobermory, following the Niagara Escarpment in Ontario. The main trail is well-marked and maintained. It travels for more than 890 km (550 miles). There are also many side trails to various points of interest along the way.

The 400 km (250 miles) of side trails are also clearly marked with blazes. The trail is named after James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin who was Governor General of the Province of Canada from 1847 to 1854.

Answer: True

There are escarpments on every continent on Earth. This includes five major escarpments in Africa, one major escarpment in Antarctica, five major escarpments in Asia, nine major escarpments in Australia and New Zealand, over twenty escarpments in Europe, over thirty escarpments in North America, and at least three major escarpments in South America.

Answer: Welland Canal

The Welland Canal is in Ontario. It forms a vital part of travel between the Great Lakes for large ships on the St. Lawrence Seaway. Lake Erie is at a higher elevation than Lake Ontario due to the Niagara Escarpment that runs between them. The Niagara River runs between the two lakes, but the Niagara Falls make it impossible for ships to travel between the two lakes on the river.

The Welland Canal travels from Port Weller in St. Catharines on Lake Ontario to Port Colborne on Lake Erie. A series of locks allow ships to travel in either direction over the Niagara Escarpment.

Answer: Escarpments on other planets or moons

The word "rupe" is Latin for "cliff" or "rock". Rupes are escarpments that have formed on other planets or moons. In space, rupes, or escarpments are caused by erosion, faulting, or meteorite strikes. There are rupes on Mercury, Mars, our own moon, and some of the other rocky moons in our solar system.

Answer: True

The oldest known tree in Ontario can be found on the Niagara Escarpment. It is an eastern white cedar that dates from about 688 AD. The oldest known tree in Wisconsin can also be found on the Niagara Escarpment. It can be found in Brown County and is also an eastern white cedar that is more than 1,300 years old.

Answer: Florida Escarpment

The Florida Escarpment lies in the Gulf of Mexico off the west coast of Florida. The area at the top of the Florida Escarpment is called the Florida Platform. The Florida Platform runs from under the water where the water depth is about 300 feet (91 metres) up to the west coast of Florida, then across the US state.

The Florida Platform forms the Floridian peninsula. A few miles to the west of Florida in the Gulf of Mexico, the water depth drops at a sheer cliff from 300 feet (91 metres) to over 10,000 feet (3,000 metres), thus forming an underwater escarpment.

The remaining options in this question are all above-ground escarpments. The Darling Scarp is in Australia, the Chiltern Hills escarpment is in England, and the Western Ghats is an escarpment in India.

Answer: Too many to count

When measuring waterfalls that are at least 10 feet (3 metres) high and 3 feet (1 metre) wide that flow for at least part of the year, there are a vast number along the Niagara Escarpment. The most famous waterfall on the Niagara Escarpment is probably Niagara Falls.

It lies at the border with New York State in the US where the Niagara Escarpment passes into Canada. There are other many streams and rivers that run over the Niagara Escarpment from one end to the other. Unfortunately, there are too many to count.

The city of Hamilton, Ontario has about 150 waterfalls within its borders, and that is just one city along the entire length of the Niagara Escarpment.